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Sanguine Templars
The Sanguine Templars are a venerable and ancient Successors Chapter of the sacred bloodline of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius, gene-sire of the the heroic Blood Angels, created during the Second Founding in 021.M31. Formerly, they were known as the 7th Company of the original IX Legion. Following their reunification with their winged Primarch upon the world of Baal, he saw the darkness that hung over his sons, but despite their unsavoury reputation he saw that they were warriors who held to their own codes of honour with an iron will. Thus, he was able to raise them up, granting his newly-dubbed 'Blood Angels' a new sense of pride as exemplars of the Imperial creed, equal to the warriors of any other Legion. None took the Primarch's teachings to heart like those warriors of the 7th Company, who endeavoured to raise themselves up and embrace the virtues Sanguinius had shown them. The warriors of this company were known to revere the Great Angel above all else, which bordered on worship. Despite the tenants of the non-secular Imperial Truth that was enforced upon newly conquered worlds brought into Imperial Compliance, the Legionaries of the 7th Company secretly practiced a form of Primarch-worship, that was frowned upon by their more secular brethren. They became the guardians of the Sanguine Templem aboard their great flagship, the '' The Cleansing Spear''. Warriors of unequaled zeal, these brethren came to be known as the "Sanguine Templars" due to their relentless determination and matchless skill, which became the hallmarks of this deadly company. Their dedication and zeal was recognized by Sanguinius, who often sent these loyal sons to the farthest reaches of the galaxy to carry the Emperor's Great Crusade to unify Mankind. However, their resolve was sorely tested during the dark days of the Horus Heresy, when the galaxy was torn asunder, following the subsequent betrayal of the Emperor's most favoured son - the Warmaster Horus - who waged a deadly conflict against the Imperium he had once fought so hard to build. The Sanguine Templars fought throughout this deadly conflict, intent on bringing their Primarch's unfettered wrath down upon those who had renounced their oaths of loyalty to the Emperor, and were present during several notable campaigns during this destructive conflict. Following the final epic battle during the Siege of Terra, and the unfortunate death of the Great Angel at the hands of the Arch-Traitor Horus, the Sanguine Templars eagerly prosecuted a war of reciprocity against both the Traitor Legions and those forces still loyal to the Warmaster. Following the end of the Great Scouring, the newly raised High Lords of Terra instituted the decrees of the newly authored tome, the ''Codex Astartes'', and decreed that the remaining Loyalist Space Marine Legions would be divided into separate 1,000-man Chapters. These newly raised Chapters came to be known as the Primogenitor Chapters of the Second Founding. One of these Chapters that were raised during this Founding were the Sanguine Templars. Recognised for their stalwart and dedicated service during the Heresy and the subsequent Scouring, they were granted the honour of forming their own Chapter. Following their inception, they immediately departed Terra, vowing to undertake a perpetual Crusade, in order to bring the light of the Emperor to the darkest corners of the galaxy - a task which they have zealously continued for the last ten millennia. Chapter History The Great Crusade and Horus Heresy The origins of the venerable Sanguine Templars Chapter harkens back nearly ten millennia earlier. As with many Second Founding Chapters, the Sanguine Templars' history is legendary in scope, reaching all the way back to the days of the Horus Heresy itself. Originally, they were the 7th Company, the "Sanguine Templars", of the IX Legion. The veterans of the first generation of Sanguine Templars served under Captain Fericious throughout the Great Crusade. Under the guidance of their gene-sire, the Company brought the will of the Emperor to the furthest reaches of the Galaxy, cutting low any who dared to defy it. However, the memory of what they were before the arrival of the Great Angel was a lasting shame. While most of their newly re-forged Legion moved on, the Legionaries of the 7th couldn’t shake the guilt of what they had let themselves become as the Revenants. To this end, the Company became rather obsessed with cleansing themselves of the old Legion's sins, taking every moment they weren't on the battlefield or training, to meditate on their misdeeds. To study in-depth the teachings of Sanguinius and to harness their bloodlust into a weapon. To be the noble angels their father desired. Despite the guilt that weighed upon them, they still performed their duties with all the vigour and fury expected of a Blood Angel, from the Burning of Anahktor to the Purge of Murder. Beneath the guidance of Great Angel, they grew from the gore-covered butchers of the old Revenant Legion to the noble warrior-scholars that were now vaunted throughout the Imperium. They had little time to revel in their advancement, as the entirety of the Imperium was torn asunder by treachery of the worst kind. Wrought by Sanguinius' most beloved brother - Horus Lupercal - and the ones the Blood Angels considered to be near brothers. It was they, the Sons of Horus, who sent the Blood Angels to Signus, inflicting a wound that would follow the Legion for eternity. For the first time the Blood Angels came face-to-face with the full might of Chaos, fighting through a system that had been consumed completely by it. For years they fought, scouring the daemons at a great price to themselves. However, it was at the Battle of Terra where the Legion's fate was sealed. Standing alongside the Imperial Fists and White Scars, the Blood Angels fought with their signature ferocity, fueled further by the grief and pain inflicted upon them by the Arch-Traitor Horus. At the Eternity Gate, they stood fast as they wrought a bloody vengeance, making the Traitors pay for every inch they took, in blood. Yet it was only through the sacrifice of their Primarch that the battle was won, and the Arch-Traitor slain. The death of the Great Angel was so traumatizing that it scarred the Blood Angels' very gene-seed. The Great Scouring The Legion took time to nurse its wounds, both physical and psychological, allowing their kin to carry out the Great Scouring. In 017.M31, hosts of the Emperor swept outwards from Terra in vengeful pursuit of the Warmaster's broken hordes, the first loyal fleets reaching the various regions of the galaxy, where various sectors had long been strongholds sworn to the cause of the Arch-Traitor Horus. One such Imperial Retribution Fleet was comprised entirely of the sons of Baal and other Loyalist enclaves, spearheaded by the 7th Company. These outriders of what later chronicles would come to call the Scouring, were eager to inflict on the fleeing Traitor Legions the same humiliation they had suffered themselves in the early years of the Horus Heresy. These vengeful Sons of Sanguinius traveled to the furthest reaches of the western part of the known galaxy towards the great tear in reality, the massive warp rift known as the Eye of Terror. The Blood Angels armada bore a fully panoply of those weapons once forbidden from use - rad-phages and virus weaponry of terrible potency - as well as several regiments of veteran Imperialis Auxilia, Mechanicum Skitarii and numerous battalions of vengeful Blood Angels Legiones Astartes warriors, all honed by the fires of heresy and war to the pinnacle of human still-at-arms. The Traitors had no hope of clemency from their vengeful former brethren, in the wake of the Siege of Terra, to blunt their determination. Though the Traitor forces and their traitorous Auxilia Imperialis, Questoris Traitoris and Dark Mechanicum allies fought with all the vicious spite and skill that was to be expected, each individual force fought and died alone and unsupported, little more than irritations to the gathered might of the Loyalist armada. The days following the Horus Heresy were to be some of the darkest seen since the Emperor had risen to power on Terra during the Unification Wars at the end of the Age of Strife. The military forces of the Imperium were reorganized and redeployed and gradually the remaining followers of Chaos were forced to flee into the galactic west, to the massive Warp rift of the Eye of Terror. Eventually the Imperium succeeded in stabilizing itself, but not without heavy losses of men and materiel. Despite this success, it wouldn't be long however, until the IX Legion would have another wound inflicted upon it by none other than Roboute Guilliman himself, who dissolved the Legiones Astartes in accordance to the dictates of his recently accepted Codex Astartes, which reorganized both the Imperial hierarchy and its military forces. With the adoption of this sacred tome by the remaining Loyalist Primarchs and in accordance to the decrees of the Codex, the Space Marine Legions would be no more. Instead they were broken down into several separate existing formations, known as Chapters. The original Legions became known as the First Founding Chapters, keeping their original heraldry, livery and long, glorious roll of battle honour. The Primogenitor Chapters, or Second Founding Chapters, became cousins to their original kin. Stripped of honour and tithe, of history and deed, they were all undone. Weakened as they were, the IX Legion had no choice but to accept this decree. With the death of Captain Fericious during the Siege of Terra against the Emperor's Children, the Chapter Master of the Sanguine Templars would be Knight Commander Tathamet. Unlike most in his Legion, aside from Nassir Amit, Tathamet was a vocal adversary to Guilliman's edict. While he was powerless to stop the dissolution of the IX Legion, he refused to bow any further to the whims of the butcher, largely ignoring the Codex Astartes and its teachings. This hostile attitude towards the Ultramarines would eventually fade, there would always be bad blood between the Chapters. As a new millennium dawned, the High Lords of Terra decreed the need for a new Founding of Space Marine Chapters. It was during this time, that the Sanguine Templars came into being. The Crimson Crusades Now Grand Master, Tathamet took those forces now loyal to him as a Chapter and the auxiliary forces on a crusade to the far side of the Eye of Terror. There they waged a war unending on the Traitor and the xenos. Far reaches of space really the rim of the galaxy is still largely unknown to the Imperium, there the Sanguine Templar pursued the vile traitors where they may hide. Places like the Halo Zone, Halo Stars, Laanath Rifts, and the Veiled Region were constant areas of operation for this Zealous Chapter. The Halo Stars are the stars bordering the outer reaches of Segmentum Obscurus. The stars comprising the halo are very old and dispersed very thinly across the approximately two hundred thousand light years of the halo's diameter. Some are grouped together in clusters. The halo is almost entirely unexplored and probably contains few habitable systems. The Halo Zone is the name of the region of Segmentum Pacificus beyond the light of the Astronomican where Imperial Navigators guiding ships during Warp jumps are no longer able to sense its guiding light and are thereby forced to navigate blindly. Doing so in the Warp is extremely hazardous and most, if not all, Navigators will refuse to go beyond the borders of the Astronomican for this reason. Also, due to the difficulties in navigation, the time taken to cross a region is increased while also increasing the time differential between realspace and the Warp. The Veiled Region is a vast unmapped area of Segmentum Pacificus that consists of dense nebulae and newborn stars that suffer from waves of radiation alongside discarded stellar matter whilst being cloaked in stellar dust. Within its expanse is known to reside a number of greenskin pirates, a race of sluggish primitive creatures on a dying world and a few xenos mercenaries as well as traders. Unknown to many, Necrons are known to populate this region of space. In each area the Sanguine Templar set up citadels and bases of operation calling the territory theirs. The area they controls was nothing like complete or even centralized as they traveled from planet to planet, answering calls of humanity in need of help against the traitor and the alien. Only a few times have they appeared back in Imperial space. Several times the rolls has marked this chapter as destroyed or missing just to find out they were on their continuous crusade. Through the Boros Gate they have made several raids on the Daemon Worlds of the corrupted. First Black Crusade In 781.M31, While the forces of Chaos assaulted the galaxy, the Imperium sent forth its warriors, the Imperial Guard, Adeptus Mechanicus and Space Marines (who had only recently split due to the Second Founding), who marched together and pushed Abaddon back. The distance which the Crusade penetrated the Imperium forced the Imperium to respond by building defenses on Cadia and a vast naval port at Belis Corona.Of those Imperial Forces responding was the Sanguine Templar, taking a break from their Crimson Crusade to pursue the Traitors during their First Black Crusade. Where the Traitors showed the Sanguine Templars were never far behind. Ninth Black Crusade In 573.M38, Several Chaos fleets sailed out of the Eye of Terror unnoticed during this time, their destinations unknown. One of these fleets ended up on the wrong side of the Sanguine Templars. Over the course of several years the Sanguine Templar would track down various vessels of the Traitors intent on vengeance and purity of mission. Great Awakening In 982.999.M41, The Great Awakening: a ripple of psychic power flows through the Warp and activates the latent abilities of millions of psykers. Innumerable warp rifts are created and several worlds are lost to daemonic infestation. The Thousand Sons are seen in unprecedented numbers. The Sanguine Templar 7th Company The Witch Hunters was especially busy putting down psyker revolts caused by Thousand Sons. Thirteenth Black Crusade In 995.999.M41, Warmaster Abaddon launches the 13th Black Crusade. The armies of Chaos Undivided lay siege primarily to Cadia but attack many of the surrounding worlds as well. Imperial Forces launch a massive counterattack, and eventually push back the tides of Chaos, but only just barely, and at great cost. Among the Imperial counter offensive was the Sanguine Templar Crusading fleet. Their Fleet battled with the Traitors across the breath of the Imperium as the call to defend Baal came just a few short years later from the start of the Black Crusade. The Sanguine Templars burned entire worlds to stop the menace as well as saved countless more but there was an ever growing number of foes to meet. Devastation of Baal Around, The Devastation of Baal was part of the Third Tyrannic War, taking place during the devastating period known as the Blackness. Sanguine Templars hold an unswerving bond of brotherhood to their parent Chapter, along with their many fellow successor Chapters. This has been recently demonstrated during the recent Devastation of Baal campaign, where nearly the entirety of the Chapter was gathered to defend their ancestral home and die among their kin. The hard fought battle against the Tyranid Menace was hard fought as they had little active experience against them. It was the leadership of the Veterans of the Long Watch who had gathered stores of knowledge on how to face such a foe. The Sanguine Templar were prepared with their meditations and style of fighting that was as effective on Tyranids as it was on traitors and Daemons. Fortress-Monastery The Cleansing Spear ( Gloriana Class Battleship; Flagship) - Officially classified as a type of command Battle Barge, the vessel is 20 kilometers in length. Heavily modified with enlarged hangers, extra armories, highly advanced void shields and Geller fields, and extra battle plate.The The Cleansing Spear is equipped with cells and dormitories, a Grand Forge, an Apothecarion, a Librarius, a Reclusiam, and many other components for a Fortress-Monastery. The Cleansing Chamber inside the grand Battle Barge is where the ritual of Purificationis Sanguinis is overseen by the Watchers. Notable Campaigns *'Horus Heresy and Great Crusade' - Originally, they were the 7th Company, "Sanguine Templars" of the IX Legion. The veterans of the first generation of Sanguine Templars served under Captain Fericious throughout the Great Crusade. Under the guidance of their gene-sire, the Company brought the will of the Emperor to the furthest reaches of the Galaxy, cutting low any who dared to defy it. However, the memory of what they were before the arrival of the Great Angel was a lasting shame. *'The Scouring' - The Legion took time to nurse its wounds, both physical and psychological, allowing their kin to carry out the Great Scouring. In 017.M31, hosts of the Emperor swept outwards from Terra in vengeful pursuit of the Warmaster's broken hordes, the first loyal fleets reaching the various regions of the galaxy, where various sectors had long been strongholds sworn to the cause of the Arch-Traitor Horus. One such Imperial Retribution Fleet was comprised entirely of the sons of Baal and other Loyalist enclaves, spearheaded by the 7th Company. Chapter Organisation The Horus Heresy had left the Imperium a shattered shell of its former self. In the wake of the disastrous galaxy-wide conflict, it was decided that the no one individual would ever command the power of a Space Marine Legion ever again. Therefore, it was deemed necessary to restructure both the Imperial military machine as well as the flailing Imperial bureaucracy. This task fell to the Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman, both a master tactician and a superlative organiser and master logistician. After much debate, it was decided that the Imperium would adopt Guilliman's ''Codex Astartes'' - his magnum opus and guide on both strategy and organisation - which resulted in the sundering of the Legiones Astartes into separate Chapters, which formed the basis of the Second Founding Space Marine Chapters of the burgeoning Adeptus Astartes. Besides the adoption of the Codex, the newly raised High Lords of Terra required a Chapter to meet the arch-foes of the Imperium in combat - the vast armies of the False Gods of Chaos. The Sanguine Templars were one such Chapter, chosen for their stalwart and dedicated service during both the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, as well as their zealous persecution of the Traitor Legions during the subsequent Great Scouring. Unlike their genetic forebears, the newly formed Chapter opted to take a more proactive approach, by seeking out and bringing the light of the Emperor to the darkest corners of the galaxy by launching a perpetual Crusade. Since their inception, the Sanguine Templars have continued to hold to their Oath of Moment, and continue to harry the heretic, apostate and xenos in their places of power. Though many consider the Sanguine Templars a Crusading Chapter, this belief stems from the fact that the Chapter readily answers the call-to-arms of those in need of their assistance to fight the Forces of Chaos, or to take part in a campaign to bring their unfettered wrath down upon the followers of the Dark Gods and the daemonic Never-born alike, wherever they might reveal themselves. In actuality, they are an imperialistic Chapter that believes in Mankind's manifest destiny to rule over the known galaxy. This drive to conquer, does not stem for their yearning to own territory, but from the belief that the more regions of the galaxy that they conquer and control, the more they can protect. In a sense, they are keeping with the original tenets of the Emperor's Great Crusade - to reunite the galaxy into one unified whole, ruled by the Master of Mankind. The Chapter firmly believes that their Founding came from the need for guardians of the purity of Humanity. Part of their pathological hatred for Chaos stems from the taint it lays over man's body and mind and the inherent corruption that led to the bloody conflict of the Heresy. The Sanguine Templars have heard the words and read the book of Guilliman, but it is he, the resurrected Avenging Son, who they believe has not truly seen. They believe that when he penned his treatise, it was his lack of faith in the purity of the remaining loyalist Space Marine Legion that resulted in their sundering into separate Chapters and upset their pure Chapter brothers. The Templars have seen the vastness of the Archenemy's forces and its insidious influence upon Mankind, and they know that no number is too great to face the daemons of the warp. Therefore, the Sanguine Templars follow their own unique Chapter organisation, keeping higher numbers within each company, and have two additional reserve companies that help bolster their deployed battle companies where needed. Sanguinary Priests are often assigned with companies to ensure the purity of blood. Any brother who is even suspected of not having pure blood and shows any signs of corruption, gets marked to see the Watchers on The Cleansing Spear, the Chapter's flagship. Officer Ranks *'Grand Master' - Chapter Master Equivalent, Each Chapter Master as they ascend to leading the Chapter take on the name of the original Grand Master of the Sanguine Templar. *'Knight Commanders' - Captains Equivalent Specialist Ranks *'Watchers' - Apothecaries within the Cleansing Chamber. *'Viceroys' - Chaplains who are amongst the line brothers. *'Architects' - Tech Marines for it is they who communicate with the machine spirits. Line Ranks *'Brother-Sergeant' - *'Battle-Brother' - *'Scout Brother' - *'Aspirant' - Specialist Formations *'Paladins of the Inferno' - Champions of the Chapter are consolidated within a specialized squad of the 1st Company all of whom specialize in the killing of daemons with holy melee weapons. Their name comes from the fact that they have faced the fires of hell over countless battles and emerged untainted. Their armor is pure gold and blessed by the Viceroys of the Chapter. It is said that to some daemons, their armor is almost unbearable to lays eyes on. This is why it is common practice for this company to spear head attacks on daemonic armies. *'Black Knights' - The 1st Terminator Squad of the 1st Company, who are also the Grand Master’s personal honour guard. *'The Burdened' - A veteran who is charged with the duty of executing any traitor, xeno, or mutant who still draws breath after the battle is over. This is due to the burden that is taken on by fighting the Red Thirst when executing those who have already lost or surrendered. *'Inferno Squads' - Specialized squads, within every company, that deals with daemons and heretics. They use melta weapons and flame based weapons to purge the arch-enemies of mankind. They are often used behind the Burdened to help destroy the bodies with fire after the battle is over. Heavy weapons used by Inferno Squads include sanctified flamers which utilizes Promethium which is mixed with sacred oils and then ritually blessed to give it an even greater effect on the daemons and traitors that it is used upon. Sanguine Templars may also utilize standard Space Marine weapons or equipment, although this is much rarer. *'Death Squads' - Every warrior in their ranks is a boon on the battlefield, possessed of righteous strength and holy fury. Yet once the storm of war passes, madness and execution are all that await these tormented souls, driven past redemption by the curse in their tainted blood. Those that get to fight on the battlefield until they are bled dry or the enemy is vanquish. Afterwards they are locked up until the Purificationis Sanguinis can be performed, which is usually a death sentence. However the colours of their Death Squads are an alabaster white, with black shoulder guard trim and backpack, but still bear blood-red saltires to symbolise the wounds of the the Blood Angels' Primarch Sanguinius after he was slain by the Warmaster Horus during the Horus Heresy. And to give their appearance the purity their control lacked. Order of Battle Headquarters Companies Chapter Recruitment As a fleet-based Chapter, the Sanguine Templar are known to draw their recruits from a variety of different Imperial worlds within the Segmentum Pacificus. Representatives of the Sanguine Templars visit each recruiting world once within a normal human's lifetime, and take the strongest juveniles from the population. Each Aspirant is thoroughly screened, and from the moment he is accepted into the Chapter as a Neophyte Space Marine, his past becomes irrelevant. To ascertain who is worthy to join the ranks of the Sanguine Templars, the adolescents of the feral tribes of planets that are under the protection of Sanguine Templars, who would be Sanguine Templars Aspirants take part in violent games and tournaments, battling against the harsh landscapes and their peers. Fratres per Dolorem and Fratres per Sanguinem are performed early sometimes even before they are full Astartes. Through bonds of blood and pain aspirants are forged into squads of neophytes. Chapter Beliefs The word "brother", is the only word that comes close to the description of the bond between squad members within the Chapter. Within the Sanguine Templars there is no such thing as - just another scout- or - just another line brother. All full members of the Chapter are treated as equals, and as such, all words spoken are taken into consideration when planning or seeking council. Another typical and somewhat unnoticed part of their culture is the Astartes make the sign of the Aquila in greeting, respect, or any other reason felt needed by the brother to make the sign. Tattoos are also a large part of the Sanguine Templars' culture. These tattoos are not meant for mere style, no, they have far more important meanings to the brothers of the Chapter. Tattoos are a symbol of respect between squad brothers, fallen heroes, or anyone of vast importance to the brother. So important are these tattoo that are inked onto themselves, they will often mix the blood of the brother in the ink they use to make a tattoo. Fasting is another large part of the culture within the Chapter. Too much food or sleep can make the body too relaxed or accustomed, so the chapter regularly endures vast amounts of fasting to train the body to become less dependent on both food and sleep. This has also been made note of as to the reason why they, as a whole, are very adept at surviving in the harshest environments known to mankind. The Sanguine Templars take great pride in the fact that they are directly founded from the Blood Angels themselves during the 2nd Founding. Theirs is a storied legacy that stretches back many millennia, with tales of their ferocity and heroism reaching across the Imperium. This noble legacy is tainted however, as is the case with every descendant of the Great Angel. Their twin flaws weigh heavily upon them. Yet even as madness and rage consumes them from within, they endure, for nothing shall stop them from seeing the great vision of their Father fulfilled. To this end they have committed themselves to countless Crusades, pushing even their larger than standard Chapter to its limits. Despite carrying many of the traditions of their parent Legion, the Sanguine Templars have diverged from them in many ways, some more concerning than others. Be it their outright rejection of the Codex Astartes, or the fact that they have carved out their own small kingdom within the Imperium, it is clear the Templars walk their own path. Still, this doesn't mean they have any lost love between themselves and their fellow Sons of Sanguinius. Far from it, the Sanguine Templars hold an unswerving bond of brotherhood to their parent Chapter, along with their many fellow successor Chapters. This has been recently demonstrated during the recent Devastation of Baal campaign, where nearly the entirety of the Chapter was gathered to defend their ancestral home and die among their kin. The recent induction of the Primaris has been a great strain on the already overextended Chapter, seeing them as outsiders - an insult forced upon them by 'The Butcher' (Guilliman). But return of their once missing blood Brother Uriel has made Primaris warily accepted. Brother Uriel once served as a scout alongside Brother Zuriel during the Siege of Terra where he disappeared. More than anything else, the Sanguine Templars are dedicated to the virtue of purity in all aspects. Purity of spirit, mind and body. To this end, they are dedicated to the eradication of the Traitor Legions, and their Crusade shall not end until every Traitors' gene-seed is crushed into dust. After-all, it was the taint of Chaos that has seen the Imperium fall so low, and only through strident purity that it can be restored. Any maybe, just maybe, they can find salvation as well. Rituals Fratres per Dolorem (Brothers Through Pain) - Newly formed scout squads are taken before the Master of Recruits in nothing but pure white undergarments. A veteran called the Forgotten, who has a metal tipped whip, then begins to whip the scouts all over their bodies as the Master of Recruits tells the story of Signus Prime and the Battle of Terra. Through the shedding of blood, the scarring of flesh, and the sharing of history the scouts bond is now shown as a gift that many lives were sacrificed to achieve. Fratres per Sanguinem (Brothers Through Blood) - At a very early age scouts are shown that a bond through blood is stronger and deeper than any. As such, a bond cannot truly be formed without knowing a brother fully. Through drinking each other’s blood regularly, scouts share memories, thoughts, and burdens. Each time a new member joins any squad blood is draw and drank. This ritual continues throughout the marine’s lifetime. Purificationis Sanguinis (Purification of the Blood): When a brother has fallen prey to the gene flaws know as the Red Thirst or the Black Rage the Sanguine Templars do not believe it is merely do to the gene, but also due to a lack of purity. Instead of being sent to an honored Death Company or locked away, the Chapter takes them to a place on their Flagship, a Battle Barge known as the Cleansing Spear, called the Cleansing Chamber. Within this chamber those who have fallen prey to their gene flaws are chained to tables where they are then cut in several places, allowing all the blood within their body to pour out. The body, overtime, replaces the lost blood and Apothecaries known as the Watchers await their recovery. If the brother does not recover, he is drained again and again until cured. If the brother dies during the process, he was seen a weak and lacking the purity needed to overcome the test. The failure rate is near total for those that fall to the Black Rage. Falling to the Black Rage is a death sentence, while Red Thirst one must become pure again and when they fall to the lack of control with the Red Thirst again the process is repeated. Apparatus Spiritus Pastum (Feeding of the Machine Spirits): The Tech Marines or Architects, speak and connect to spirits of the machines in the same way brothers of the Chapter do, forming a type of bond. Through allowing the spirits to taste the Architect’s blood, the machine spirits gain trust and knowledge of who it is who takes care of them. Architects also have been known to does this ritual when a Chapter member receives a new weapon. Through this ritual, the Architect allows the machine spirit to taste of its new user’s blood thereby creating a bond that is stronger and deeper than most. This is why it is also common to hear even normal weapons with names. Combat Doctrine While most Chapters fight a variety of xenos, traitors, and daemons alike, the Sanguine Templars specialize in hunting Daemons and Traitors specifically (Though they are not scared to spill xenos blood, should the need arise). The Sanguine Templars are known as being merciless when facing the Arch enemies of man. They tend to fire-bomb the enemy armies with Thunderhawks or artillery, engulfing the battlefield in flames (which reflects their pure hatred of the enemy and thirst for vengeance), before moving upon the enemy. As they have a special hatred for the Arch enemies of man, Sanguine Templars (like their gene brothers) often quickly engage in close quarters assault. When battles are won, they send out the Burden to kill everything that still draws breath. As taint leaves a lasting mark on all it touches, which they learned by Sanguinius’ teachings on Signus Prime, they rarely leave a planet ungoverned once the battle is won. They do not kill the planet’s inhabitants unless they have been lost. Instead the mercy, grace, and nobility of their Primarch Sanguinius is shown, as after they have all been screened by Sanguinary Priest and Viceroys, the inhabitants are returned to their homeworld (which joins the domain of the Chapter), thusly being saved from damnation. Sanguine Templars often quickly engage in close quarters assault. This allows them to take advantage of two of the noted weaknesses of the Never Born: Daemons are particularly susceptible to flames and blades. This weakness is thought to stem from the ancient reverence these two symbols have held in human faiths since time immemorial. Because these weapons have power in the hearts and beliefs of men, they are doubly effective against the Warp spawn, who are themselves but psychic echos of our emotions. When battles are won, the Brother of Sanguine Templars must gather in front of the Watchers and perform rituals of purity and discipline to ensure few if any have been burdened with Corruption. The teachings of the Chapter's Cult focus heavily on defeating the works of the daemonic, though it must be said that the Chapter is nowhere near as specialized as the secretive Grey Knights and regularly faces the entire spectrum of the Imperium's foes. Nonetheless, the Sanguine Templar are especially adept at combating the denizens of the Warp and this is manifest in another of the Chapter's practices. The Chapter Cult is divided into a number of specialized companies, as noted above. Each serves as a host of warrior-mystics within the Chapter, the members of each privy to a particular, specialized branch of traitor legion lore. When facing a threat that is the domain of a specific company, that group may be gathered together to confront it or to counsel others in doing so. Given their nature, it is perhaps inevitable that the Exorcists should maintain close ties to various bodies within the Inquisition. Chapter Gene-Seed The Sanguine Templars, of all the warriors of the Legiones Astartes, evidenced perhaps the greatest degree of transformation of their flesh from their human origins to the Space Marines they would become. This transformation's effects were even more pronounced and more fundamental than that of the Space Wolves or the Salamanders, both of which featured unique stigmata of their own. The aggressive over-writing of the aspirant's gene-helix by the blood of the Primarch was capable of transfiguring the rad-scarred and twisted inhabitants of Baal to create "perfected" warriors, living icons of the physical ideal of the Legiones Astartes, each one an echo of their Primarch, called "the Angel", Sanguinius in his fearsome glory. There was a price however for this power, and the process of transformation was a more arcane, elaborate and painful one than that endured by any other Legion. Even with the direct infusion of its Primarch's own blood to stabilize the process, the rate of fatalities among aspirants was frighteningly high. There were also those who argued that the mental scars suffered by those who survived the change were just as deep, instilling a sense of cause and purpose that manifested as unflinching, unreasoning fanaticism bordering on madness, a certainty which could in mere moments turn to insane fury when that purpose was challenged. Primarch's Curse: Twin-Curses The Sanguine Templars carry with them the twin genetic curses of Sanguinius. Known as The Flaw, these genetic curses known separately as the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. The Flaw of the Blood Angels has also been attributed to a combination of the genetic defects in the Legion's Omophagea gene-seed organ implant, and the psychic disturbance created during the final seconds of Sanguinius' life. During the battles of the Horus Heresy on Terra and Mars, the stored gene-seed imprint of the Blood Angels was lost, forcing the Legion to have to extract the gene-seed needed for their reconstruction after the Heresy from the fallen body of their Primarch himself. Every Space Marine created from the gene-seed drawn from Sanguinius after his death was doomed to fall to the Flaw. The Red Thirst Deep within the psyche of every Sanguine Templar is a destructive yearning, a battle fury and blood-hunger that must be held in abeyance in every waking moment. Few Battle-Brothers can hold this Red Thirst in check unceasingly -- it is far from unknown for Sanguine Templars to temporarily succumb to its lure at the height of battle. The Red Thirst is the Sanguine Templars' darkest secret and greatest curse, but it is also their greatest salvation, for it brings with it a humility and understanding of their own failings which make them truly the most noble of the Space Marines.The Purificationis Sanguinis is performed on any so far gone to have succumb to the Red Thirst and are bled until they are pure once more. The Black Rage The Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters still suffer from the psychic imprint left by Sanguinius' death (or by the daemonic "wound" caused on Signus Prime). This can cause them to go insane prior to or during battle and feel the rage that Sanguinius himself felt during the Battle of Terra. Until the brother who has shamefully fallen prey to this impurity can be brought back to Battle Barge'The Cleansing Spear', they are formed into Death Squads that fight on the battlefield until they are bled dry or the enemy is vanquish. Afterwards they are locked up until the Purificationis Sanguinis can be performed, which is usually a death sentence. Notable Members *'Grand Master Tathamet' - also known as the Crimson Knight, was the Captain of the 7th company when the Blood Angels were still a Legion. His history begins as most on the planet Baal, though much of his records seemed to have been ‘misplaced’. During the Siege of Terra, Tathamet was part of the defense of the Palace entrance. It is said that when he was finally found a mountain of traitor and daemon corpses laid at his feet while he stood covered in blood, but who knows how much of that can be true as they are merely rumors. His personality is always calm and collected which is why he is always sought out for council in times of need. The trouble usually being finding him, as he is not known as the most sociable of all the Chapter when it comes to dealing with other Chapters. His war gear consists of a pure Crimson Artifice Mark IV armor set. In his right hand he carries what has come to be known as the Sword of Baal, which is a power sword with many carvings that depict stories of Baal. In his left hand is a larger than normal relic Storm Shield known as Final Stand which was given to him by the Adeptus Custodes for reasons that have not been recorded. *'Brother Sergeant Savarel' - The First veteran sergeant of the Sanguine Templar. Down his right arm is a coiling sleeve of fellow Blood Angels, most of them now Sanguine Templars, from his brothers in initiation up till now whom served with him and called him Sergeant. A muddy red skull is stamped proudly on his forehead, sharing the same position as the Iron Skull on his helmet. The muscular back of this space marine has become a canvas for names of significance including those Dark Angels that helped train his squad when they were but scouts along with those Salamanders whom they stood alongside on Terra. Finally his left arm bears an inked on chain link running from shoulder to wrist, meant to be a collection of honor marks. A single 'badge' depicting a golden wall aflame represents the Siege, attached to the chains by a hook of simple design it stands as the lone achievement thus far. *'Brother Haimon' - Several Tattoos on his arms and back. These all have meaning. On his back in scroll work are a list of names the living all clear but the dead are crossed off. These are his brothers and Cousins that he fought closely with. Also major events are imaged up his arms. Techmarine and brother of the Sanguine Templar, served in the 7th company of the Blood Angels Legion. *'Brother Zuriel' - Sanguinary Priest from the 7th Blood Angels Legion and possibly second oldest Dreadnought in existence. In the center of his chest and prominently featured were the names of his beloved blood brothers, connected by streaming drop of blood tattooed through the center of them. On his heart is a bloody Angel, representing the death of his beloved father, which will always weigh heavily on his heart. On his right hand was the name of Tobias, and the left Isiah, two who were instrumental in his early years as a scout, and turned his hands into true instruments of war. His right name also bore the names of a few Dark Angels who were befriended. On his top back were the names of many Salamanders who he bled beside on Sacred Terra. He also had two new, distinctive tattoos on the front of both his shoulders. One was a blasted, hell like battlefield, with angels trampling across demonic figures. The other depicted a group of angels standing in breached golden wall. Signifying the battles of Signus and Terra, two engagements that would forever define Zuriel and his Legion. Finally there was a blood red skull tattooed beneath his throat, in honor of his leader and brothers. Chapter Fleet The Sanguine Templars exist as a fleet-based Chapter designed to operate solely as a warfleet on a perpetual Crusade. However, the Sanguine Templars do not follow the standard pattern of operation when it comes to a Fleet based Chapter. The Sanguine Templars warfleet has matured over the millennia when operating beyond the Imperium's boundaries for prolonged ages of time. The Sanguine Templars are said to be an entirely sovereign force that could sustain itself without any support whatsoever. The Scions of Sanguinius are ever vigilant, and are always ready for battle which is why they have chosen to remain a highly mobile, fleet-based Chapter. The Sanguine Templars incorporated those that followed them into their eternal crusade against the traitor into their fleet. The Sanguine Templars armada bore a fully panoply of those weapons once forbidden from use - rad-phages and virus weaponry of terrible potency - as well as several regiments of veteran Imperialis Auxilia and Mechanicum Skitarii that became the support and serfs of the Chapter. *'The ''Cleansing Spear (Gloriana-class Battleship)' - ''The Cleansing Spear is the ancient flagship of the Sanguine Templars Chapter. Having survived the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring, this massive class of Imperial battleship was one of the most formidable class of vessels of its kind ever constructed. Often utilised by a Primarch or Praetor as their personal flagship. This role was due to these warships' incredible array of firepower, which allowed them to single-handedly batter entire fleets or recalcitrant planets into submission. The Gloriana-class Battleship had been out of commission since the days following the destructive conflict of the Horus Heresy, one of a number of vessels deemed too powerful to be left in the hands of any single commander after the betrayals committed during the Age of Darkness. But the fall of Cadia and the formation of the Great Rift, never has there been such a need for such a mighty vessel, to take the fight to the myriad of foes that assail the Imperium of Man from all corners of the galaxy. *''Crimson Shield'' (Battle-Barge) - Ancient Battle Barge of the Sanguine Templars. Survived the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring. Heavily armed and armoured, it was a ship made to give and take damage in the thick of a battle line, its design and precise configuration honed by decades of the Legion's experience in void combat, and communication and command systems woven into its structure that showed the intent that the Crimson Shield would lead the Sanguine Templar in their later conquests. *''Ascendance Sword'' (Exorcist-class Grand Crusier) - Exorcist Grand Cruiser of the Sanguine Templar supporting their Crimson Crusades. Originally developed as a long-range patrol vessel, capable of self sufficiency for long periods of time away from fleet support. *''Purity's Sword'' (Overlord-class Battle-Cruiser) - Ancient Overlord Battle-Cruiser covered in blessings, while on the side of it there was a very visible sentence, "Ne Patiatur Servi Malum." (Suffer not the servants of chaos). The bulk of its hull was black, but the blessings were all golden. A successful early illustration of how workable the Battlecruiser concept can be, the Purity's Sword is as fine an example of a pure warship as can be found. *''Covenant of Baal'' (Strike Cruiser) - Ancient Strike Cruiser, The Covenant of Baal is a variant no longer in Imperial service anywhere else. Few were ever constructed on that template. *''Vengeance Mail'' (Endeavour-class Light Cruiser) - One of many Endeavour-class Light Cruisers that the Sanguine Templar have acquired over time in it's need to have more firepower than the traitors they confront. Chapter Relics *''Final Stand'' - Larger than normal relic Storm Shield, was given to Grand Master Tathamet by the Adeptus Custodes for reasons that have not been recorded. Final Stand is equipped with an uniquely potent internal gravitic energy field generator far exceeding that found elsewhere, which renders all but the most powerful blows completely ineffective. The shield provides protection against both melee and ranged attacks and it is able to withstand an assault from even heavy weaponry like a Lascannon or a direct hit from an artillery piece. *''Sword of Baal'' - A power sword with many carvings that depict stories of Baal. Personal weapon of Grand Master Tathamet first Grand Master of the Sanguine Templars. *''Iron Vengeance'' - The Heavy Bolter once wielded by Brother Haimon with High Gothic script scrawled on it's side stating, "Fury be thy whim". Heavily modified ancient relic of the Savant Techmarine who was once blood brother to Savarel during the Siege of Terra. *''Carnage'' - A Bloodthirsty Relic Chainsword with a dark reputation once wielded by Brother Uriel Veteran of the Siege of Terra and Sanguine Templars Founding member, The first of the Burdened. Deathwatch Service The Sanguine Templar have a long history of service with the Deathwatch. When serving as Deathwatch Battle-Brothers, Sanguine Templar hold themselves and all around them to high standards of discipline. The Sons of Sanguinius are experts in the use of ancient weapons and the launching of army-shattering assaults. Their Vanguard Veterans are an inspiring sight in the ranks of the Deathwatch. The Sanguine Templar do offer up brothers for the Long Watch usually blood bonded squads to be spread among the various Deathwatch Fortresses in an effort to keep a network of information and to bring back to the Chapter information on the Xenos for they are an enemy often encountered. It proved a boon during the Devastation of Baal when they faced the Tyranid menace whom they had little contact with but stores of knowledge on thanks to the Deathwatch. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colors The Sanguine Templars paint their Power Armour black, with a gold Chapter badge and squad markings.The shoulders of the Power Armour are painted a dark red and the trim is gold in color. The Imperial Aquila on the chest plate is usually gold, white or black. Chapter Badge The Sanguine Templar Badge is a pair of Golden Wings springing from a Star with three Golden Blood Drops inside with two Golden Lightning Bolts crossed behind the star on a Red Field. Chapter Relations Allies *'Dark Angels': The Sons of the Lion have some close ties within the Chapter. It is largely unknown just how close the two Chapters are simply because of how secretive both Chapters are. Many have speculated that the two help each other in the hunts of their enemies, but how much of this is actually true is vastly unknown. What is known is that the Sanguine Templars often call on Dark Angels' Interrogator-Chaplains for help with the tougher traitors that need breaking. Another rumor that has been spread is that the Sanguine Templars help to find relics for the Dark Angels, but what they would get in return is unknown as well. The Sanguine Templars have also been noted as sending companies to aid the Salamanders whenever needed. *'Salamanders': Word spread throughout the Sons of Vulcan of what a group of scouts had done to help save Sergeant Tur'tes Shen and the honored ancient Ulciscor. The Salamanders are not a group to let such great deeds go unaddressed and as such have a very close bond to the Sanguine Templars. It is very common for the Salamanders to make armor that could be considered great works of art for the Sanguine Templars. In return, any and all relics that are of the Salamanders chapter are returned with the upmost haste. The Sanguine Templars have also been noted as sending companies to aid the Salamanders whenever needed. *'Blood Bearers': The Blood Bearers are a loyalist Space Marine Successor Chapter of the bloodline of Sanguinius, created during the dawning of the 32nd Millennium during the 3rd Founding. An extremely reclusive chapter, the Blood Bearers are stoutly bound to the Blood Angels, united by the blood of their Primarch Sanguinius that flows through their veins and ancient traditions that outsiders find difficult to understand. Sharing a lineage with the original Legion and their distaste for the break up of the Legions has left Sanguine Templar very close to fellow Chapters of the Blood. *'Broken Wings': The Broken Wings were a semi-''Codex'' compliant Chapter descended from the lineage of the heroic Blood Angels. They are an ancient and venerable Chapter who has valiantly served the Emperor of Mankind throughout the existence of the Imperium. Although officially their Founding is Unknown, they were already an existing Chapter of the old IX Legion that had been assigned to watch over an untamed region of the Galaxy during the final days of the Great Crusade. Sharing a lineage with the original Legion and their distaste for the break up of the Legions has left Sanguine Templars very close to fellow Chapters of the Blood. *'Golden Seraphs': The Golden Seraphs are an ancient Successor Chapter that hails from the proud and noble lineage of the angelic Primarch Sanguinius. Created during the 2nd Founding in 021.M31, following the end the Great Scouring, the great war of reciprocity against the vile Traitor Legions that occurred following the bloody galaxy-wide conflict known as the Horus Heresy. The Golden Seraphs inherited their Progenitor's pride on their ability to meet the foe head-on, no matter the odds. During this tumultuous time in Imperial history, those Chapters created during this particular Founding quickly garnered a reputation as savage and merciless Astartes, who willingly struck fear into the Imperial populace to scare them into compliance. Sharing a lineage with the original Legion and their distaste for the break up of the Legions has left the Sanguine Templars very close to fellow Chapters of the Blood. Enemies *'Emperor's Children': The Emperor’s Children have a special place in hell in the minds of the Sanguine Templars. They experiment on humans and space marines a like with foul rituals and horrific procedures. They taint everything they come into contact with, to include the very ground upon which they walk. For this reason, the Sanguine Templars have a special joy when executing the sons of Fulgrim, and often request from everyone they come into contact with, any information on the vile III Legion activity in the region of space they are in. *'World Eaters': The reason for the pure hatred between the World Eaters and the Sanguine Templars is far more simple, in that being a descendant of the Blood Angels, they more inherited this rivalry. That is not to say that the hatred is not placed well though. Notable Quotes By the Chapter About Chapter Feel free to add your own Gallery File:Sanguine_Templars_Grand_Master.png|Grand Master Tathamet, Lord of the Sanguine Templars Chapter. File:Sanguine_Templars_Knight_Commander.png|A Sanguine Templars Knight Commander of the 3rd Company. File:Sanguine_Templars_Sergeant.png|Sanguine Templars Sergeant of the 2nd Company, 4th Veteran Squad (Battleline). File:Sanguine_Templars_Tactical_Marine.png|Sanguine Templars Battle-Brother of the 4th Company, 6th Tactical Squad (Battleline). Sanguine_Templar_Assault_Marine_Concept.jpg|Assault Marine Concept Sanguine_Templar_Banner_Concept_1.png|Sanguine Templar Banner Concept Sanguine Templars Icon.png|Sanguine Templar Banner Concept 2 Acknowledgements Thanks to Matt23 for DMing and setting up this Chapter. Thanks for those that participated in the campaign creation of the chapter like Keidivh, Maleth, DeranVendar, Avenging-Angel, Colapse, Jolojose, Mythy The Dragon Wolf, and Uriel. Thanks to Lord Algrim Whitefang for reviewing and helping improve this article. Category:Blood Angels Successors Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:2nd Founding